Chapter 19 and 20 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 19—The Turning Point

Bernard wakes up and decides again to sail past the Cape of Good Hope and end up at Tahiti. At least there he can re-outfit his boat with supplies, contact his family, and check his physical health. Bernard needs civilization, but resents it, calling it "the Monster." He knows he benefits from his steel-hulled boat and technology, but he fears being surrounded and taken over by the Monster. Bernard lets the weather decide for him. Since the weather is good and the wind blows towards the east, he continues to go east.

Bernard imagines that a small seagull comes to perch on his knee and speak to him. The seagull is not real, but the Fairy Tern that guides sailors out to the sea. The problem is that people do not want to listen...